Sweet Sixteen
by Rosel
Summary: August tries to make Emma's Sweet Sixteenth Birthday perfect. One Shot. AU. Connected to Kindred Spirts of Lost Souls. Written for Wooden Swan Week


**Sweet Sixteen**

**Disclaimer: I Don't Own One Upon A Time**

**A/N: This is a One Shot that connects with Kindred Souls of Lost Children but was just Wooden Swan. You don't need to read Kindred Souls of Lost Children to understand this. It's written for Day Four of Wooden Swan appreciation Week**

**A/N2: Thanks goes to my sister Smiley Orignals who helped me alot with this and was my BETA. **

**Promt: Grown Up Orphans**

**Day 4**

August put the final touches on the homemade cake. He didn't think it was supposed to look so lopsided. What did he do wrong? He followed the recipe and yet the cake was sinking. Oh the story of his life. He always tried so hard to do things right but they always turned out lopsided. He stayed at the foster home with Emma but then they separated them when he was thirteen. After rescuing her from a crappy home, with the help of a buddy from the boy's home, they ended up living on the streets. He later then finally landed a job and an apartment, but the job sucked and the apartment was as tiny as a shoe and smelled like last week's garbage. With much pushing from him, Emma went back to school, but she struggled because of all that time she missed by living on the streets. The twenty-three year old sighed. He just wanted one thing to go right. He wanted to give his princess the perfect birthday. He wanted to forget about this cold hard world they had to endure for twelve more years and just escape and have the perfect evening with his little princess. Though he supposed she wasn't his little princess any more since this was her sixteenth birthday. Back in Fairy Tale Land that was the age a King and Queen held a ball to show her to the kingdom and start to take offers for her hand in marriage. Age sixteen in Fairy Tale Land was the age a Princess became a woman. Snow White didn't exactly experience that since she was on the run from the evil queen, but that was the tradition. He liked finding out about all of the different traditions when he was young. There was so much about life that fascinated him, including one of a royal.

Now his Princess, similar to her mother, was forced to live a completely different life than the one of a Princess. August wished he could have spoiled her by buying her elegant gifts, give her a big party, and show her just how much she was loved and important. Instead he made a homemade cake from scratch. Simply because he couldn't afford one of those fancy ones they sold at the bakery. He tried to order one but they were too expensive. Then he bought her a plastic tiara from the dollar store. He made a banner out of a roll of paper they had and tried to decorate it as much possible. He sat here, this room looked like a kid put this together, instead a grown up twenty three year old man. The cake was sinking, the table cloth was this plastic white cloth with bright colors that said happy birthday over and over, and the banner that said Happy Birthday Princess was made by crayons. Technically he'd been a grown up for a while now, but times like this he still felt like a kid. He wondered if he would ever truly grow up. He wondered if he could ever handle being Emma's guardian without messing it up. Shaking his head, he shrugged the thought away. He could not think that way. He could not fall into self-pity, not on her birthday. There have been more occasions then he wanted to admit where he fell into self-pity gotten drunk and Emma would end up having to take care of him. That was something a Princess shouldn't have to do. That was something that should not happen on her birthday.

August took the wrapped present and put it on the table. He put a plastic bow on it, another thing he got from the dollar store. Then suddenly the door opened, revealing a disgruntled Emma. Without saying anything, she walked in throwing her book bag on the floor, staring down on the ground when she slammed the door shut. Then she looked up to the make-shift banner and August in front of the table with the lopsided cake, holding her present. After a moment of surprise, he got his bearings, raised his hands up with a big smile plastered on his face before saying, "Happy Birthday Princess."

Emma stared at her only family, eyes bloodshot while her hair a mess from the wind, and then she looked at August and all that he did for her and her frown turned into the most ridiculous smile August had ever seen. Then she ran to August, flung her arms around his neck and said, "August. You remembered!"

She jumped up giddy and completely touched.

He lightly chuckled completely thrown and happy by her reaction and said, "I know it's not much."

She looked up at him putting her hands on his prickle face and said, "It is everything to me."

August couldn't help but smile.

"I'm glad you like it." He said smiling.

Then she looked back at everything and asked, "Okay what do we have here?"

August then pulled the chair out motioning for her to sit in it and said, "For you, your highness."

After she sat down on the chair he placed the Tiara on her head softly. Emma still smiled as he did this.

Emma nodded at him moving her hand mocking a princess overdramtically and said, "Thank you, kind sir, let the festivities begin!"

"As you wish your majesty."

Emma sat there waiting for him. He then took the gift setting it in front of her.

She sat there excitedly and then she impatiently ripped the paper off. August stood there too the anticipation killing him. She just looked so excited and he was afraid that she could be disappointed.

She sat there silent as she stared at the elaborate carved wooden swan. It was carved out of mahogany and was about one foot tall. He had made a smaller one for her when she was younger, to play with but now she was grown up. He was afraid she would think it was stupid and childish. She probably would want something like nice expensive jewelry that he couldn't afford.

Then she finally looked up at him and she had tears in her eyes.

"August. I love it. Thank you so much. This must have taken you so much time to build."

It did actually he had to go into extra detail with the wings. After getting home from work he would stay up late just so he could finish it. He wanted it to be perfect for his princess.

"I'm glad." August said.

"I love it!" She said smiling with pure joy.

"This is turning out to be such a great birthday August. If you couldn't tell, I had such a sucky day. Of course no one knew it was my birthday. Why would they? There was this girl at school who had her birthday this past weekend. She had this huge big Sweet Sixteen Birthday party. Everyone was invited, except for me of course. They were all talking about it. How it was the party of the century. It was at country club there was a live band and she got a diamond necklace from her father."

"I'm sorry. You couldn't have that type of birthday Emma."

"It's okay. I don't think I would want it. I much rather spend my birthday with the only person who matters to me. Instead of partying with a crowd full of strangers, I get to go home and see how much I'm loved. You put so much effort into this. You did all of this for unimportant me." Emma said in wonder.

"You are important Emma don't let anyone ever tell you otherwise." August urged. It baffled him how his extraordinary princess could ever think she wasn't special. Of course he knew that she because she was the savior, but she was so much more than that. She was amazing.

She looked up at him with a light in her eyes like she was seeing something clear once she pulled out of the cobwebs away and said, "You make me feel important."

He put one of her blonde locks behind her ear. Then he asked, "So how about some cake?"

"I'd love some!" Emma said excited. She smiled at the lopsided cake kind of laughing at yet so thrilled to eat it.

"You have to make a wish first." He said getting a bit excited, himself. He wanted her to have all of the traditions of a birthday and her birthday. It was one of his favorite parts. It also was something he hoped that would help her believe in magic when it is the time to tell her.

He then got the matches and lit the candles and starting singing, 'Happy Birthday'.

Emma smiled and blew out the candles as she closed her eyes.

He was glad that she didn't grow out of her love for making wishes on birthday cakes.

"So what was your wish?" August asked.

"I can't tell you. Or it won't come true." Emma said smiling.

He should have seen that coming, he's the one who had taught her that. He liked teaching her about a lot of things in this world that had a bit of a magical quality to them. But this Birthday was different. He really wanted all of her wishes to come true. Maybe he was loosing faith about magic, since in this world magic didn't exist but he should wanted everything to be perfect for her sweet sixteenth birthday.

August started to dish out the cake on her plate and then he said,

"If you don't tell me I can't make it come true."

"And is that your job to make my wishes come true?" Emma asked.

"It is tonight. It is your birthday. And a princess' wish should always come true on her birthday."

Emma smiled mysteriously and said, "I guess will see if that's true or not."

Then she took a bite of the chocolate cake as she chews she takes it in for a moment and then said, "Mmmmmm. I love how it sinks. It's delicious!"

That made August smile; he wondered why he was ever worried in the first place. It made him laugh that she actually thoroughly enjoyed his lopsided cake. He knew she wasn't just humoring him by the way she was eating it savoring every bite. She took each bite slowly closing her eyes as some moments as she truly cherished each bite.

She always awed him at her amazingness. Most people would look at this humble attempt at a birthday and laugh at him but not Emma she was enjoying it. He should have known better though. He knew she was never really concerned with material things. She had more heart than that. She knew how to enjoy the simple things in life.

After they finished the cake August turned on the old cassette player and played one of her favorite songs.

"Can I have this dance? Princess?" He asked bowed and pulled his hand out, awaiting for her to take it.

Then she curtsied, took his hand, and said, "Yes, you may kind sir."

August was happy to see that today was one of those days when she played along with the whole princess thing. Lately as she was growing up she started to resist the fairy tale stories more and more. And even sometimes she got upset when he called her princess but not tonight. Tonight was her birthday and he was glad that she was enjoying it and embracing the princess thing.

August took her hand and led her to dance in there small dining room.

They began to dance. He twirled her, as her long blonde curls began to flutter. Her tiara held her hair in place. She rested her head on his chest as they danced. They danced like that for a while until another one of her favorite songs came on.

Then she looked up at him wrapping her hands around his neck with stars in her eyes.

He loved seeing those eyes so filled with awe and wonder. It was an amazing thing to see.

"I would like my wish now." She whispered in his ear.

He shuttered a bit since her voice caused tingles to shoot bolts of electricity to go straight to his ear.

"You have to tell me and I shall grant it." He said.

She didn't say anything. She just stared up at him adoringly. Then she brushed her lips against his.

August stood there stunned at the chaste kiss. He froze absolutely dead in his tracks.

She then whispered in his ear one more time, "My first kiss. That was my wish."

He looked back at her, at his princess. He knew that it was a rite of passage for a girl, to have her first kiss when she was sixteen. He heard something about it, somewhere. He wasn't sure where though.

In the Enchanted Forest it probably would have happened on her sixteenth birthday. It probably would happen at the end of the ball, hell it might have even happened with them. Their families were close and he had heard Snow joking about it once with Gepetto saying she would not mind her princess ending up with someone as strong and brave as Pinocchio. He hoped she was joking though. And if they had grown up together it could have very well be him. Or was that wishful thinking? It probably would have ended up being some gallant knight or prince from another land. Wishful thinking what was he talking about wishful thinking? This was his little Princess he was thinking about here. And even though in the Enchanted Forest her sixteenth birthday meant she was a woman. That is not what it meant in this world. Not to mention. He was her protector. He was supposed to be her guardian angel. He was her guardian. That was just too wrong to even think that. He had practically raised her. It was just so bad.

Then he looked down at his princess with her flowing red blouse and jeans and her tiara with her blonde curls falling on her shoulder. Her eyes gazed at his. She looked like a woman. He knew this society had all of these norms. He knew that he had a job and mission to make sure she became the savior in twelve years. But right now tonight they were in their own little kingdom where the world out there could not touch them, where everything else disappeared and it was just them. And he had a sole mission of making Emma's Birthday the best for her. If he could give it to her he would give her whatever she wanted. It didn't have to be anything other than a gift to his princess on her birthday.

So then he caressed her cheek with his thumb and gave her a small soft sweet kiss on the lips. His lips touched hers just as softly as hers touched his. He closed his eyes and as she closed hers. He then opened them looked up at her and said, "Happy Birthday Princess."

Emma looked up at him and her arms still firmly around his neck. He was glad she was still here giving her that look. And that kiss was just that and then she said, "Thank you for the best Birthday ever."

Then she rested her head on his chest swaying to the music.

**A/N3: Well there it is. I actually had this in my head for a long a time when I've been thinking about August's and Emma's life together in Kindred Soul's of Lost Children. I wasn't sure I wanted to have this dynamic without making it creepy, since you know technically he's her guardian. So I hope this isn't creepy to people. I tried to make it in a way where it wasn't. So let me know if it worked and it is sweet or not. That what I was going for they're sweet but in their own little world. And let me know if you think this should just be a stand alone and shouldn't connect with my over all fic. Alright thanks! ****J**


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